Archive for the ‘Feature Stories’ Category

Grace College School of Business and the Gordon Institute for Enterprise Development will partner to present the fifth annual Executive Forum, “Engaging Employees into the Company Culture,” on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 8 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center, 610 Wooster Rd., Winona Lake. Doors open at 8 a.m. for check-in and continental breakfast.

Bill Pollard, chairman of FairWyn Investment Company, will give the forum’s keynote address. The former ServiceMaster CEO and author of several books including best-seller “The Soul of the Firm,” has many business accolades. While leading ServiceMaster, the company was recognized as the #1 service company in the Fortune 500 and one of the most respected companies in the world by “Financial Times.” The distinguished businessman and author will speak about engaging employees in meaningful, God-honoring ways while growing your business.

“Bill Pollard has influenced my philosophy of business more than anyone else,” said Dr. Jeffrey Fawcett, dean of the School of Business at Grace College. “We are thrilled to have him keynote this year’s forum.”

Pat Miller, host of The Pat Miller Program on WOWO, will moderate the event, and five panelists will offer their unique perspective on engaging employees. Panelists include Emily Hughes Smith, owner/operator of Naissance in Granger, Ind.; Mark Webb, CEO of QuikCut in Fort Wayne, Ind.; Larry Davis, CEO of Daman Products in Mishawaka, Ind.; Dan Adams, president and CTO of Manufacturing Technologies Inc. (MTI) in South Bend, Ind.; and Randy Lake, CEO of Oldcastle Materials Inc. in Atlanta, Ga.

“We expect this year’s forum to be the best yet,” said Alan Grossnickle, director of the Gordon Institute for Enterprise Development and associate professor of business at Grace College. “We hope to draw a variety of businesspeople from across the region at our fifth annual event.” This year’s topic – engaging employees into a company culture – is one that nearly every type of business can benefit from, according to Grossnickle. “I think that every attendee should come with the expectation of receiving insights to make a tangible, positive difference at their place of business,” he concluded.

The Fifth Annual Executive Forum is open to the public. Tickets, which include a continental breakfast, are $40 per person and $35 for each additional person from the same company now through Nov. 8. After Nov. 8, tickets are $45 and $40 for each additional person from the same company. Tickets may be purchased online here. The first 300 registrations will receive a free copy of “The Soul of the Firm” by speaker Bill Pollard. Additionally, area high school students will be invited to fill the gallery for no charge.

This year’s forum is sponsored by RSM US LLP, a leading national assurance, tax and consulting firm with locations including South Bend and Indianapolis. For more information, please call Marsha Yocum at 574.372.5100, ext. 6094.

Dr. Chad Snyder, Grace College chair of the Department of Science and Mathematics, invited Mr. Sam White, Physics Ph.D. candidate from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., to Grace for a research seminar on Nov. 4. His physics research presentation entitled “Phase Transitions in VO2: Optical Properties and Applications” was given to over 70 Grace College general chemistry students.

Mr. White’s research focuses on Department of Defense funding as well as NASA funding. His studies center on the unique properties of vanadium (IV) oxide and its applications that include the protection of our U.S. and allied tank periscope operators.

Mr. White discussed the dangers our periscope operators face from incoming enemy laser attack meant to blind the operator. In response to that threat, his research can help provide tank periscope operators a VO2 coating that will shield their eyes much like UV filters on certain sunglasses.

He also discussed how his research has applications in space technology where certain types of VO2 coatings can shield many satellites from harmful radiation from the sun as well as keep their internal temperatures consistent ensuring continued operation.

For more information about the Grace College Department of Science and Mathematics, contact Dr. Snyder at snyderc1@grace.edu or call 574-372-5100, ext. 6443.

Grace College students Nolan Miller (left) and Jordon May hold items to purchase during the 2015 Supermarket Sweep.

Grace College and Mission Point Community Church are partnering for their sixth annual Supermarket Sweep, to take place on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at Owen’s Market, 2211 E. Center St., Warsaw. The community is invited to participate in the all-day event to provide food and other daily essentials to those in need.

During Supermarket Sweep, shoppers are provided a list of needed items upon arrival. Participants simply purchase those non-perishable food and baby products and leave them at the store for donation to area non-profits. These organizations include The Salvation Army, Combined Community Services, Our Father’s House and Heartline Pregnancy Center.

One beneficiary, The Salvation Army, relies on the gifts made through Supermarket Sweep each year. “The Supermarket Sweep ensures that we have food in our pantry for the holidays to reach out to people who are on fixed incomes, underemployed, unemployed and are facing crisis,” said Ken Locke, community ministries coordinator at The Salvation Army. “We appreciate this effort as we reach out to others in the name of Jesus!”

Kearstin Criswell, director of student involvement at Grace College, encourages families to consider participating together. “Grace students and staff look forward to this event all year,” she said. “One of our favorite parts about the event is the collaboration with our community. It’s especially gratifying to see families participate together.” Criswell added, “Supermarket Sweep is a great way to teach children about the joy and importance of giving.”

A special Supermarket Sweep game show-style competition will be held from 9-11 p.m. for Grace students. The students will compete in small groups to win a variety of prizes donated by local businesses. Last year, nearly 450 students participated. The friendly competition is designed to encourage students’ involvement and culminates the day-long fundraiser.

Last year, Supermarket Sweep raised a record $26,124 in food and other products. About half of those donations came from Grace students and half from the community. “The team effort between students and the communtiy raised significant help for those in need,” said Criswell. “This year, we hope to reach $30,000 in donations. With the help of the community, we are optimistic that we’ll succeed!”

The Grace College Community Wind Ensemble will present “Dreams, Wishes and Rainbows” on Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Winona Heritage Room, 901 Park Ave., Winona Lake. Tickets will be sold at the door; prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students. There will be open seating; the audience is encouraged to arrive early for a good seat.

Martin Becker, director of the fall performance, was inspired to create the concert’s compilation of music by one of America’s greatest entertainment pioneers: Walt Disney. “Disney’s legacy is an international, cultural icon,” said Becker. Disney’s music is woven into the concert.

The concert will begin with a selection appropriately titled, “Fanfare: A Vision and a Dream.” The pieces were written by Ryan Nowlin and dedicated to William Doud Packard, who had characteristics similar to Disney’s. “Packard was a man of ingenuity, dreams, patriotism and generosity,” said Becker. “We feel this music captures those attributes.”

The second selection, “Dream, Imagine, Live,” is a new arrangement written by Larry Clark. It is written in three diverse sections. Combined, the pieces are reflective of Henry David Thoreau’s quote, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.”

The first half of the concert will conclude with “October,” a piece written by Eric Whitacre. “October is my favorite month,” Whitacre once said. “Something about the crisp autumn air and subtle change in light always makes me a little sentimental, and I felt the same beauty in the writing.” Whitacre is a Grammy-award winning composer and one of the most popular conductors of his generation. His music is performed throughout the world; his ground-breaking Virtual Choir, a user-generated choir that requires members to record and upload music, has united singers from over 110 different countries.

The second half of the concert will begin with “At the End of the Rainbow,” a newly composed selection written by Indiana composer Richard L. Saucedo. The composer notes, “The piece is named for that ongoing quest in which we all embark when trying to find our place in the world. No matter what we may find at our respective ‘ends of the rainbow,’ the search, the journey and the process is what matters most and creates for each individual a life that is extremely worthwhile.”

“There is no better way to conclude the concert than to perform some of Disney’s music,” Becker said. The ensemble will play “When You Wish Upon a Star,” a song written in 1940 for Disney’s adaptation of “Pinocchio.” The original version is the representative song of the Walt Disney Company. “Composer Sammy Nestico has produced a wonderful arrangement of the song for concert band,” Becker adds.

The final selection is Disney’s “Fantasia 2000,” inspired by the movie and arranged by Jay Bocook. The Grace Wind Ensemble will perform three of the compositions used in the film: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Paul Dukas’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and the final from Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite.”

The Grace College Community Wind Ensemble includes student and community members. The experienced group provides several public performances throughout the year. For more information, email Martin Becker at beckermr@grace.edu or call 800-544-7223, ext. 6359.

One of the most recent acquisitions of the Winona History Center is a bronze bust of Dr. William E. Biederwolf (1867-1939) who directed the Winona Bible Conference from 1922 until his death in 1939. The bust was given to the History Center by the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, Illinois, and it was brought to Winona Lake by Skip and Carol Forbes. Carol Forbes, who spent many years developing and archiving materials in the Winona History Center, has had a special research interest in Biederwolf.

Biederwolf was born in Monticello, Indiana. He was educated at Wabash College, Princeton University, and at several universities in Europe. A Presbyterian, Biederwolf served as a pastor, chaplain, and in 1900 he turned to full-time evangelism under the tutelage of J. Wilbur Chapman, the first director of the Winona Bible Conference. One of Biederwolf’s greatest legacies, however, may be the role he played in convincing the founders of Grace College & Seminary to locate their school permanently in Winona Lake.

Biederwolf was present at the meeting held in the Winona Lake Presbyterian Church (now Church of the Good Shepherd) in 1937 during the Brethren conference. A capacity crowd of more than 500 was present and plans were announced for the opening of Grace Theological Seminary. Biederwolf was impressed with the proceedings and the spirit of the gathering and he invited Grace Seminary to make its home in Winona Lake.

The seminary opened the next fall in Akron, Ohio, with a student body of 39. After careful consideration, and in response to Biederwolf’s invitation, the seminary moved to Winona Lake to begin operation two years later in the fall of 1939. Grace College was subsequently founded in 1948 and it became a four-year liberal arts college in 1954. Biederwolf, after a lengthy illness, died September 3, 1939, in the town where he was born—Monticello, Indiana.

The bust was originally owned by J. Palmer Muntz, who directed the Winona Bible Conference from 1938 until 1958. The transfer from the Billy Graham Center was arranged through Tonya Fawcett, director of library services at Grace College & Seminary.

Grace College & Seminary’s grounds team recently received the Green Star Honor Award from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS). The award, which recognizes excellence in grounds management, was presented to Jeff Buriff, Grace College grounds supervisor, at the PGMS national convention in Louisville, Ky. on Oct. 21. “It was a huge honor to receive this award. It has put Grace College on the national stage in the landscape world,” Buriff said.

PGMS is the nation’s largest grounds management society, recognized for its leadership and educational resources. Annual Green Star Awards recognize superior landscaping and grounds management in a variety of sectors including colleges and universities. Grace College & Seminary was one of six recipients of its kind to receive the Green Star Honor Award this year.

“I am so pleased that the grounds team received this recognition,” said Dr. Bill Katip, president of Grace College & Seminary. “I consistently hear complimentary remarks from visitors about the quality of our campus grounds, and that is testament to our high caliber team.”

“The honor award is evidence of our continued efforts to improve and beautify our campus and sports turf,” said Randy Kleinhans, director of the physical plant at Grace College. “Our aim is to provide an environment where students, faculty, staff and the public can enjoy excellent professional landscaping.”

Grace’s grounds team has sought professional development and continual improvement in recent years. Training seminars in landscape and sports turf management conducted by Purdue University have proved beneficial, as well as visiting other campuses. “In addition to training, we have visited peer schools to learn new ideas and best practices. We are striving to be the best in class for our size school,” Kleinhans added.

Grace College’s Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling online degree was recently named one of the top national programs by Best Counseling Degrees. Grace College ranked 6th and was the only Indiana college named among the most affordable accredited programs.

Best Counseling Degrees shares expert information about top counseling degrees to help students achieve their professional goals. Lists are compiled using data from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Education Programs (CACREP).

“We are honored to be recognized for our efforts to build a quality and affordable faith-based program that emphasizes professional skill development,” said Dr. Amy Gilbert, chair of the graduate counseling department at Grace.

Grace College’s Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling trains graduate students to excel as professional counselors. They are taught to be scripturally grounded, professionally skilled and interpersonally competent. Upon completion, students are qualified to seek state licensure or pursue doctoral studies in counseling. The program is offered online and on-campus; both are CACREP-accredited.

“We’re proud to offer students the option of a residential or online program at Grace,” said Gilbert. “Our online degree program is ideal for those who need to maintain full-time family and work responsibilities while pursuing their degree. Online students also enjoy the four to six-day residency on campus in Winona Lake,” she said.

Grace College is now accepting applications for the Grace Opportunities for Adult Learners (GOAL) program. The degree completion program is offered residentially or fully online for adults who wish to complete their four-year degree while maintaining family and work responsibilities. The next GOAL cohort will begin January 9, 2017.

With convenient scheduling, current technology and outstanding instruction, Grace makes obtaining a bachelor’s degree a reality for many area adults. Building on previous college credits and life experiences equivalent to about two years of college, a GOAL degree can be completed in just 16 months.

In 2014, Serena Case graduated from GOAL with a bachelor of science in business management. Case calls enrolling in GOAL “one of the best decisions” she has ever made. “GOAL has impacted my career in so many ways. It was a necessary stepping stone for the success I’ve had,” she said. In GOAL, Case mastered her subject area and built lasting relationships. “It gave me the tools and confidence I needed to pursue a career that I love,” said Case.

Initially, Serena worked in manufacturing. Four months after graduating from GOAL, she was hired as a quality engineering tech at DePuy Synthes in Warsaw. After two years at DePuy, Case acquired her dream job: a clinical research associate at Medpace in Cinncinati, Ohio. “GOAL truly changes lives,” she said. “Students graduate feeling confident and equipped.”

At Grace’s Winona Lake campus, GOAL students can earn a B.S. in management or a B.S. in quality management. Each course meets one night per week for five weeks or for two day-long Saturday sessions. Online degrees include a B.S. in management, a B.S. in human services and B.S. in business administration.

Four members of Grace women’s soccer team were honored by the Crossroads League on Nov. 1 in the postseason awards.

Meredith Hollar, Abby Schue and Kristelle Jadoo were all named First Team All-League, and Maile Grout was honorable mention to the All-League Team.

Hollar was Grace’s leading attacker throughout the season. She had eight goals and one assist in the regular season to rack up 17 points. Hollar’s 36 career goals rank fifth in program history.

Schue posted eight shutouts in 16 games for Grace. She made 95 saves on the season, averaging nearly six saves per game.

Jadoo was an integral part of Grace’s defense. The senior outside back was one of just four players to start all 16 games. She helped Grace to six shutouts in league play.

Grout was a steady defensive midfielder for Grace. The senior was instrumental in winning and keeping possession for Grace in the middle. She also started all 16 games.

The Lady Lancers played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, taking on six ranked teams during the regular season. Grace still managed to finish fourth in the Crossroads League.

Grace is focused on qualifying for the NCCAA National Championships in Kissimmee, Fla. To reach NAIA Nationals, the Lady Lancers will need to qualify through NCCAA Regionals which will be released in the coming days.

Grace College and Director of Athletics Chad Briscoe welcomed student-athletes from the high schools of the Northern Lakes Conference for a Sportsmanship Summit on Monday, Oct. 31.

Student-athletes from the NLC schools attended the summit, which was designed to educate student-athletes about sportsmanship and character training in athletics.

“We are pleased to be a part of building character at the high school level through the Sportsmanship Summit,” Briscoe said. “We hope it served as a great opportunity to educate and reinforce character education and to help promote the importance of sportsmanship for each student-athlete.”

Student-athletes from the NLC spent the day together working in groups to discuss and challenge one another in sportsmanship and character-building opportunities in the athletic realm. The students worked in team-building opportunities to promote camaraderie among the schools in the conference and create various mission statements for the NLC.

The Sportsmanship Summit featured sessions from Roger Grossman, Lenny Krebs and Briscoe.